The Lone Cybermen
by darkestboy
Summary: When Zoë is taken by a surviving Cyberman, the Doctor and Jamie are forced to return to Telos in order to save her. Continuation of sorts from The Invasion.


**Name: **The Lone Cybermen  
**Characters: **The Doctor (2nd), Jamie McCrimmon, Zoe Heriot, Cybermen.  
**Synopsis: **When Zoë is taken by a surviving Cyberman, the Doctor and Jamie are forced to return to Telos in order to save her. Continuation of sorts from _The Invasion_.

Zoë had been walking for a while now, though in her case it was more a case of being dragged than walking of her own free will.

"You're hurting me." She winced, unable to get her arm free from the creature that had locked onto it so tightly that she felt it could snap with the tiniest extra pressure applied to it.

The Cyberman glanced at her for a second, its face unable to show any flicker of emotion at all. Zoë wondered if it had been able to, would it let her go. She doubted it as her feet were becoming damp and wet with the snow that surrounded this planet.

In the TARDIS, the Doctor had set the co-ordinates for Telos. He had been through enough encounters with the Cybermen to know where the lone creature would've taken his companion and Telos was the very place.

When Jamie hadn't frantically tried to stop the Cyberman from taking Zoë from the TARDIS with swift teleportation, he was just about recovering from the electric shocks he had received for his efforts. From the Doctor's perspective, Jamie was being uncharacteristically quiet.

"Feeling better?" the Doctor asked, his vision fixated on the monitor but his facial features still showing concern for the young man.

"Nay, aye." Jamie was uncertain. The shocks were beginning to wear off but he still felt a little woozy and his concern for Zoë's safety was still a dominating factor. "Are we there yet, Doctor?"

"Now."

The TARDIS had materialised on Telos. Jamie immediately headed for the door without the Doctor being able to warn him to be careful. For all they knew, they could very much be walking into a trap.

"It's not half freezing," Jamie's clenched teeth shattered as his body took on the shock of the biting coldness of the planet. Telos wasn't usually this freezing. At least not outside anyways.

The Doctor had been dressed more appropriately for the weather on this planet but even he felt a biting chill. A part of him had wondered if the chill had more to do with an impending sense of dread and danger, rather than the snow, wind and dampness of the environment.

"Where do we look first?" Jamie had asked.

The Doctor hadn't listened to him; he was trying to make sense out of the surroundings. The wind harshly blowing in his face didn't help matters but something in the corner of his eye did. Something familiar.

"Why not start by going there?" the Doctor said in a conspiratorial tone.

Jamie didn't bother to ask why. If the Doctor had a hunch, it was just better to go with it, even if there was a good chance that he could be wrong. Jamie hoped he wasn't wrong this time. He didn't want to stay on this planet longer than he had to. He also didn't want to get to Zoë too late either.

In a freezing underground laboratory, Zoë had come to the horrible realisation that she and her captor were alone. Bodies of other Cybermen were on the floor. Zoë wagered that while some of them were dead as a doornail, there was a possibility that one or two of them might just be dormant. If she was lucky, they'd stay that way but she wasn't banking on it.

Zoë found herself strapped to a table by her waist, wrists and ankles. She had enough experiences of her own with the Cybermen to know that what was going to happen next wasn't going to be pleasant for her.

Zoë struggled in her bonds, finding no give in them. Her struggles didn't go unnoticed as the Cyberman glared at her once again.

"Struggling is futile," the Cyberman hissed in its cold, emotionless voice. "You will become like us."

"I really hope not," Zoë muttered under her breath as a circular device was clamped tightly across her head, causing her pain.

She thought of the Doctor and Jamie. She knew they'd come to her aid. She really hoped they would as well. But she also knew that she was resourceful enough to help herself. After all, she had been more than capable of destroying a computer with her own craftiness. Perhaps she could use that resourcefulness to override this converter.

"The Cyber race will survive and planet Earth will fall to its knees," the Cyberman said as it began to flick switches. It then looked at Zoë. "And you will be part of it."

"No!"

Zoë shrieked as her body arched, straining against its bonds. She found that her mind was beginning to feel conditioned and she fought against it, as best she could. She couldn't become like a Cyberman. She wouldn't become a shell of herself. Before she could actually fight for her mind, the circuits blew.

The Doctor and Jamie stood there, not able to get close enough to her but with the sonic screwdriver, the former had been able to stop her conversion process. The Cyberman turned to see who was responsible for the delay.

"Doctor!"

"Yes." The Doctor smiled almost clownishly as he focused on Zoë. "I believe that's my friend on your operating table."

"She is to become like us."

"I don't think so, mate," Jamie howled. He made a run to get to Zoë but found himself swatted away like an insect. Jamie grunted in pain.

"Perhaps we can come to another arrangement." The Doctor put his hands up in mock surrender. "A more logical solution to this conundrum."

"Continue."

"Instead of the girl, I suggest you take me," the Doctor offered. "I surrender to you."

The Cyberman looked at the Doctor curiously. It had no reason to trust the Time Lord but his knowledge would be something very beneficial to the survival of the Cybermen.

"Doctor, don't," Zoë said, struggling still to get free. She could tell that he was going to regret it if the Cyberman agreed to his idea.

"Zoë, I know what I'm doing," the Doctor tried to hush her. His voice distracted the Cyberman as Jamie got up from the ground and went over to loosen Zoë's restraints. Zoë rubbed her wrists and got off the table.

"What do you say?" the Doctor asked.

"Delete, delete," the Cybermen began to shoot electric bolts at the Time Lord. The Doctor ducked and dodged as best he could.

"Now, Zoë!" Jamie shouted.

Zoë had found a laser gun and shot the Cyberman down with it. She had to shoot several times before the creature went down. When it did, the three travellers looked at the creature.

"It's dead. Last of the Cybermen," the Doctor said grimly. He had examined the other bodies in the laboratory. All of them had perished.

"Forever?" Jamie asked, unable to believe the possibility.

"Not forever," the Doctor replied grimly. "But this lot certainly are gone. We should leave."

"Yes," Zoë said. "I think I've had enough Cybermen to last me a lifetime."

"If only it could say the same about us," the Doctor replied as he led his companions to an exit.

As the three of them headed out into the biting cold before they entered the TARDIS and materialised off the planet, another Cyberman had been watching them from afar. It didn't recognise the girl but the human male and the Time Lord it certainly did.

"We'll see each other soon, Doctor," the creature vowed. "And then, you'll die."

The lone Cyberman stomped back to its lair. It would prepare for a battle. One in which the Doctor would lose. It would make sure of that.

- The End -


End file.
